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Woman taken by medical helicopter after watercraft wreck

RILEY TWP.
A woman was airlifted to a Toledo hospital after two personal watercrafts collided near t

Sandusky Register Staff

May 24, 2010

RILEY TWP.

A woman was airlifted to a Toledo hospital after two personal watercrafts collided near the mouth of the Sandusky River.

Kellie Baker, of Mansfield, was sent to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo to be treated for back injuries. The extent of the injuries remains unclear, though officials said Baker moved her feet as officials loaded her into the medical helicopter near Memory Marina.

"She was in the water for quite a while," said David Goodwin with the ODNR Division of Watercraft, adding that a life jacket probably saved her life.

Baker and her husband, John Caporini, 45, were gliding over the waves Monday afternoon when they were apparently hit from behind by a personal watercraft driven by Deborah Dials, 56, also of Mansfield.

Caporini and Dials both walked away from the crash unharmed. They declined to comment. Their watercrafts sustained minor damage.

Though cloudy skies loomed Monday afternoon, Goodwin said weather is not considered a factor in the crash and the waves were calm.

"There was a rainstorm that moved through, but that wasn't a concern," he said, adding that alcohol and drugs are also not factors.

Dials has been cited for reckless operation.

When fellow boaters called in the "boat accident," Sandusky County Sheriff's Capt. Santos Bocanegra said emergency responders had a hard time finding the trio. Some staked out White's Landing while others headed toward Wightman's Grove.